Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The years from 1895 to 1907 witnessed a doubling of the number of workers engaged in machine building, from slightly more than onehalf million to well over a million. Germany began world war ii as the most heavily industrilized country in eyrope. The best books on the aftermath of world war ii five. At the end of the war, there were some eight million foreign displaced persons in germany. Economy by conte and karr and has been adapted with permission from the u. Planet money to understand why germany is so freaked out by what europes central bank is doing, you need to go back nearly a century. Difference between east and west germany compare the. In december he made his first official visit to east germany, where he agreed to establish joint economic, cultural, and environmental commissions. Deutsche demokratische republik ddr, commonly called east germany german. The united states, soviet union, western european and east asian countries in particular experienced unusually high and sustained growth, together with full employment. The east german economy also showed strong growth, but not as much as in west.
The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state. Legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii paperback large print, november 29, 2017. Harcourt, brace and company, 1959, to a concise history of world war ii new york. The german democratic republic, or gdr, also simply known as east germany, was founded as a second german state on october 7, 1949 four years after the end of world war ii. Understanding west german economic growth in the 1950s. The general rule of thumb is that the further east you go, the worse the atrocities get and the worse the conditions were for the people who survived the war.
The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii kindle edition by charles river editors. The reconstruction of germany after world war ii was a long process. Jaap sleifers book, planning ahead and falling behind, points out that the eastern part of germany was actually richer than the western part prior to world war ii. Germany had suffered heavy losses during the war, both in lives and industrial power. In central and eastern europe it lasted much longer than anywhere else. A view through the lens of the postwar experience 233 holger c. Along with pictures and a bibliography, you will learn about east germany like never before. Britain and france combined had a greater industrial output, but only the united states had a greater industrial base. The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii. Ostdeutschland, was founded on 7 october 1949, after world war ii. It was formed from part of the soviet occupation zone of germany, including part of the city of berlin. Konrad adenauer of the christian democratic union, a veteran roman catholic politician from the rhineland, was elected the. The speed of germany s advance to industrial maturity after 1890 was breathtaking. A fter world war ii the german economy lay in shambles.
Did eastern germany experience an economic miracle. Even though it had emerged from world war ii and the postwar soviet. The history and legacy of east germanys secret police agency. This type of action to help the german economy had been prohibited by the directive and its execution also led to the. The physical devastation from allied bombing campaigns and from ground battles was enormous. Inspire a love of reading with prime book box for kids. Soviet industrial capcity is more difficult to assess, but was probably comprable to german production. Germany political consolidation and economic growth. The 1960s epitomized a golden age in germany s economic development. After the berlin wall fell, did eastern germany experience an. The term wirtschaftswunder also known as the miracle on the rhine, describes the rapid reconstruction and development of the economies of west germany and austria after world war ii adopting. A lot has changed in berlin, and throughout eastern germany, since. In domestic affairs ulbrichts first concern was to rebuild the east german economy.
John gimbel comes to the conclusion in his book, science technology and reparations. Comparing the economic growth of east germany to west. It was a decade of soaring growth rates, ample employment, and relatively low inflation. Discover librarianselected research resources on german economic history. The black market peaked during the first three years after ve day, before the marshall plan and currency reform sparked economic revival, especially in the new federal republic of germany. Deng xiaoping felt that the first step to modernizing chinas economy involved. List of books and articles about german economic history online. What is one way the united states provided europe with economic assistance after world war ii.
Jaap sleifers book, planning ahead and falling behind, points out that the. Economic conditions in west germany and east germany diverged dramatically. It was only after the berlin blockade, that america understood that a strong west germany was needed as a bulwark against soviet expansionism, that the country starting getting aid and investment. The book outlines as to the inhumane treatment of citizens and many easter european countires of german decent during the latter part of wwii, and for 2 or more years afater the war, had been treated, abused physically, sexually, deprived of their posessions, and loaded on cattle cars trains after spending a few months or years in. This week shows the allies first attempts to break the german enigma code. So the chaos lasts for different periods in different countries. Four rounds of twoplusfour talks were held in mid1990 involving the two germanies and the four powers that occupied germany after world war. The nazis and their allies were bad and they did evil things. From the prosperity of the empire during the wilhelmine era 18901914, germany plunged into world war i, a war it. List of books and articles about postwar germany online. After world war ii, 12 million refugees and expellees came to germany a.
After world war ii the german economy lay in shambles. The government that emerged from the federal republics first general election in august 1949 represented a coalition of the christian democrats with the free democrats. East germany simple english wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii examines the controversial country and its place in the cold war. The united states accepted its role as a world power after world war ii, helping to rebuild europe and japan and taking the leading role in establishing the united nations.
While large sums had been poured into west germany, especially by the united states, the soviet union not only put nothing into the economy of its zone but actually took out large amounts in reparations and occupation costs. After reunification, with the help of the equivalent of 1. The war, along with hitlers scorchedearth policy, had destroyed 20 percent of all housing. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading east germany. East germanys economy far sicker than expected the new. Beforethe third reich the east german economy hadper capita national income103 percent of west germany. East germany s economy is a catastrophe, said paul zieber, who heads the institut fur ostmarkt forschung in hamburg, a research group that specializes in eastern europe. East germanys communist economy, by contrast, stagnated. The black market in postwar berlin national archives. Germany was stripped of its war gains and lost territories in the east to poland and the soviet union. The countrys cities were severely damaged from heavy bombing in the closing chapters of the war. The east german economy, 19452010 edited by hartmut berghoff. Direct and indirect reparations paid by east germany between 1946 and.
Unlike the other sovietstyle states of eastern europe, east germany had been part of an advanced capitalist economy before the war, which gave it a considerable advantage in reconstruction. Post wwii recovery and the cold war flashcards quizlet. For a young kid today, there is only germany, a powerful country in europe. East germany also had experienced an economic miracle of sorts. This article is adapted from the book outline of the u. An immediate consequence of expanding industrial employment was a sharp. This year marks the 40th anniversary of ludwig erhards sweeping free market reforms which gave economic freedom to over 80 million germans and began west germany s 30year postwar economic miracle.
What happened afterwards, though, shows the difference between socialism and free enterprise. Ziemke is author of the german northern theater of operations, 19401945, and of stalingrad to berlin. The german economic miracle refers to germanys rebirth as a global economic power after the devastation of world war ii. In the ten years after world war ii, europe relied, to a great measure, on goods and services produced and sold in the underground economy. The entire countrys economy was then destroyed by the war. The crisis of communism and the end of east germany. Interview with professor jeffrey diefendorf jeffrey diefendorf has written several books about the reconstruction of both germany and japan after world war ii. The german economy became the driving force within the community. Economy of east germany news newspapers books scholar. The german state had ceased to exist, and sovereign authority passed to the victorious allied powers. Four million out of the sixteen million homes in germany were destroyed during allied bombings in world war ii, with another four million damaged. Cambridge core economic history the east german economy, 19452010 edited by hartmut berghoff. The west german economy grew rapidly after world war ii, in this view, because it finally shed the shackles holding back structural change and productivity growth. At the end of world war ii, germany was in a shambles.
Culture what germany s postwar refugees taught us about integration. Germany s industrial infrastructure was not just severely damaged by. The pamela shulman professor in european and holocaust studies at the university of new hampshire, he has looked at the way planning shaped the rebuilding of postconflict societies. Shopping centers multiplied, rising from eight at the end of world war ii to 3,840 in 1960. Many industries soon followed, leaving cities for less crowded sites.
Meanwhile, the german war economy shows some flaws and the soviets are massing artillery in an. The history and legacy of the soviet satellite state established after world war ii kindle. Which of the following phrases best describes east germany after world war ii. Women in postwar berlin, east germany, form a chain gang to pass pails of rubble to a rubble dump, to clear bombed areas in the russian sector of the city. After the war, trade between east and west fell by a factor of 35. Germany was reduced to an near primitive agrarian economy. The term market is of significance, as free enterprise is considered to be main driving force fora healthy economy.
The post world war ii economic expansion, also known as the golden age of capitalism and the postwar economic boom or simply the long boom, was a broad period of worldwide economic expansion beginning after world war ii and ending with the 19731975 recession. Origins of the german economic miracle foundation for. After the defeat of nazi germany in world war ii, germany was divided between the two global blocs in the east and west, a period known as the division of germany. Following the german military leaders unconditional surrender in may 1945, the country lay prostrate. East germany had a command economy similar to the economic system in the soviet union. In southern italy it was in 1943, whereas france was a year later in the autumn of 1944, and the closer you get to germany, the later the liberation comes. Comparing the economic growth of east germany to west germany. The german economy selfdefines as a soziale marktwirtschaft, or social market economy, to emphasize that the system as it has developed after world war ii has both a material and a socialor humandimension. Rebuilding the world after the second world war world. The history that i was taught in high school and college, and the movies i grew up with, invariably glossed over the aftermath of world war ii, creating a triumphalist narrative the allies saved the day, and thereafter everything was fine. Contrary to early predictions, this high growth also included. It is no longer a nation by itself since the two parts of germany, east germany and west germany.
The best books on the aftermath of world war ii recommended by keith lowe. Its written by a german housewife in berlin when the russians arrive in. Ulbricht attained his goal by imposing an iron discipline. He may have heard about east and west germany, but that only through history books as the two parts of germany existed separately for 45 years from 1945 till 1990, when the berlin wall, the physical border of the two germanys, was brought down, and the two united. The second world war, especially in the light of what came after, seems to be the last morally unambiguous war. World war ii aftermath in germany economic collapse. There were several reasons behind the backward economic situation in east germany. Now, almost a quarter century after the wall fell, a team of leading economic historians has produced a nuanced and indispensable assessment of its crisisstrewn history from world war ii to the present. Germany germany political consolidation and economic growth, 194969.
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